Wednesday, September 4, 2013

In case you missed it last night, a kerfuffle was raised when a user of the imageboard/scourge of the internet 4Chan posted a Google Maps satellite image, promising that Oro Valley's Ironwood Ridge High School would be known world-wide by next week:

Today, we learned, thanks to the Local Daily, that local and national authorities came to the conclusion that the post was harmless:

Police contacted the FBI and the joint investigation revealed that the person who posted it is a minor who was referring to an upcoming sporting event at the school, [OVPD spokesperson Lt. Kara Riley] said.

"There was no malicious intent at all, it was just to support this school," she said.

No charges will be filed because no laws were violated, she said.

The determination was that the ominous-sounding post was made completely innocently on an imageboard known for its no-holds-barred, gleefully chaotic userbase. You know, just to support Ironwood Ridge in, say, their game against Glendale's Apollo High School this weekend.

Yeah, I don't know about you, but that seems like a bit of a careless handwave to me from two organizations that should probably take the matter a bit more seriously — particularly from one law enforcement organization that potentially has the power to tear apart the lives of private citizens that they might suspect of wrongdoing.

I'm not saying that the FBI or Oro Valley PD are being careless in the matter, or that they've not performed due diligence, but something smells weird there. I mean, this determination was made in an incredibly short amount of time in an age where it seems like every potential act of terrorism (and let's not pretend that an attempt at attacking students at a school couldn't be interpreted as an act of domestic terrorism, even if the political message behind it is closer related to homecoming votes than legislative votes) is broken down, piece by piece.

Kudos to the Amphi District for announcing that they plan to increase security as a "cautionary measure" 'til things calm down.